Finding Freedom

by Omid Scobie

  On January 17, Meghan arrived in New Delhi for a five-day visit to India with the international relief organization World Vision. As one of its global ambassadors, she was in the Indian capital to learn about the myriad issues, such as obstacles to healthcare and education, facing local impoverished women and children. After she successfully completed the trip she had been researching and planning for months, Meghan returned again to be with Harry in London.

  Although the pair weren’t expressly living together, she spent most of the winter of 2017 at Harry’s Kensington Palace apartment. Having already left her mark on the décor, Meghan now had a wardrobe assembled from pieces she purchased in London, from the likes of J.Crew and Stella McCartney, as well as clothes she had brought over on previous trips.

  London was starting to feel like home. On many nights, she and Harry curled up in his modest living room, binge-watching TV (Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad were favorites). They also had the same taste in films. Fans of Disney, they loved to watch movies like Moana and The Lion King. And thanks to the arrival of awards season in the United States, Meghan was also in possession of a stack of screeners sent out to voters and SAG-AFTRA members. Because Meghan was a member, the pair were able to view the year’s best cinema from the comfort of their own home.

  They emerged from time to time, visiting the Notting Hill movie theater the Electric Cinema to see Hidden Figures or grabbing a bite to eat. They had their tried-and-true spots, including Soho House, the site of their first meeting, and the Sands End, a rustic style gastropub in Fulham owned by Mark Dyer. The former Welsh Guards officer—who accompanied Harry on his gap year—had always been on hand to offer the prince advice and support.

  Harry and Meghan were at ease in those places, but that wasn’t the case when they headed off to Jamaica in March for the wedding of Harry’s pal Tom Inskip, who had been in Las Vegas for the infamous trip back in 2012. Montego Bay’s Round Hill Hotel and Villas was more open than felt comfortable, but the couple received assurances that all 110 acres of the resort would be closed to the public for the entire three-day affair. And so, Harry booked a villa on the far corner of the resort, tucked beneath the lush vegetation and the couple hopped a flight for the Caribbean.

  On the first day, gloriously sunny skies and turquoise waters put all the wedding guests in a celebratory mood. The festivities went far into the night as old friends stayed up late, tossing back cocktails and exchanging memories.

  But just twenty-four hours in, the trip soured for Harry and Meghan. Protection officers accompanying the pair to Jamaica discovered a photographer from a Los Angeles–based celebrity photo agency on the grounds. They were promptly tossed out of the resort, but not before capturing the couple in a steamy embrace on their private balcony and Meghan in her tiny swimsuits frolicking in the water with the prince.

  While Meghan was horrified by the intrusion, Harry was apoplectic. During a heated call to the palace, he laid out his instructions in no uncertain terms. These photos were not to see the light of day. “Do whatever needs to be done,” the prince said.

  His communications secretary assured Harry that the situation was being taken care of. Subsequent calls to the company, using such as language as “outrageous violation of privacy,” ensured that the revealing balcony photos were never offered up for purchase and didn’t turn up anywhere, even in the darkest corners of the Internet (they still have never seen the light of day). But the agency still planned to sell pictures of the couple in the water, including dozens of frames zoomed in on Meghan’s body.

  In their villa bedroom, Harry was angry and shouting while Meghan was concerned. She more than understood his feelings about media intrusion, how that deep distrust had formed after his mother’s death and had never gone away, bubbling up each time a reporter took their efforts to get a story too far. But she had never seen him like this. In past incidents with the paparazzi, Meghan had usually been able to find the right words to soothe his anger. Often, she was the only one able to calm Harry down when he got into one of his moods. In Jamaica, however, he remained frustrated for days. He was in such a state that even his buddies remarked on his dour mood. Although Meghan had never seen this side of Harry before, she wasn’t put off by it. Instead, she was sad to see him so affected.

  Unfortunately, it was hardly the last time the press would ruin their plans. Intense media scrutiny was the reason Meghan shuttered her lifestyle blog, The Tig, in April, announcing that her once-beloved passion project had run its course. It wasn’t so much that her blog was criticized as it was used to fuel false speculation about her personal life with the prince. All of her old posts became news stories. If she and Harry weren’t seen in three days, someone at a gossip blog would pull up her recipe for acai bowls and write a story that that was what she was serving her new man. Or her post about the benefits of green juice: Was this the diet she was making Harry follow? No, it was some article Meghan had written three years earlier. It all got very silly and no longer fit with the life of a royal girlfriend.

  After taking a moment to share some of her favorite quotes from the site (including “Being yourself is the prettiest thing a person can be,” “Of this be sure: you do not find the happy life . . . you make it,” and “Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself”), she addressed her readers.

  “After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig,” Meghan wrote in a farewell letter online. “What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun, and frivolity. You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy. Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being ‘the change you wish to see in the world.’

  “Above all, don’t ever forget your worth—as I’ve told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough.”

  More attention followed when Meghan made her first outing at an official society function. On May 6, she appeared in the royal box at Coworth Park to watch Harry play polo for charity, though the throng of photographers led to Harry and Meghan hiding out from cameras behind cars in a VIP parking area, making for a very awkward and frustrating moment for the couple.

  The media frenzy that followed their every move made them somewhat of a reluctant addition to the guest list for Pippa Middleton’s vows on May 20, 2017. Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress’s presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event.

  Meghan put careful thought into her outfit, leaning heavily on Jessica to pull together an ensemble that was stylish without being splashy when walking into the church with Harry. Her determination not to make a misstep at Pippa’s wedding was just one in many actions she took befitting a woman on track to becoming royalty.

  Despite her best efforts, Meghan’s presence at Pippa’s wedding did pose a problem—but it had nothing to do with her clothes. The day of the nuptials, The Sun ran a cover story, “It’s Meghan v Pippa in the . . . Wedding of the Rears,” accompanied by a rearview paparazzi picture of Meghan in yoga pants leaving a central London yoga studio that week side by side with the infamous photo of Pippa from behind during Kate’s 2011 wedding ceremony.

  Harry and Meghan agreed that she couldn’t possibly turn up at the church, only fifty meters away from a specially arranged media pen, after such a crass cover story. If they worried their arrival might create a media circus despite taking every precaution, now they had no doubt that it would. Meghan’s church outfit, and Philip Treacy hat, would have to be worn another time.

  While in the days after the affair it was assumed that Harry had headed out to St. Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire, solo, before returning to London to grab Meghan for the reception on the grounds of the Middletons’ Bucklebury home, logging some 150 miles of travel, the pair had actually come up with a clever work-around.

  The morning of the vows
, the couple made the hour-long drive out to Berkshire together. Harry dropped Meghan off at the Airbnb a close friend and fellow wedding guest had rented before continuing on to the chapel. While all the other guests were at the ceremony, Meghan changed into a decidedly unflashy long black gown and did her own makeup. (A hairdresser had been dispatched to Kensington in the early morning.)

  Following the 11:30 a.m. service, Harry returned to the rental home to have lunch with Meghan before driving them over to the reception site in a black Audi, the pair arriving just as a Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane was launching into an aerial performance for guests. Sitting together in the custom glass marquee that had been erected on the eighteen-acre property should have been a fun night for the couple, but, per Pippa’s request, no couples sat together. Harry sat with his pal and TV news anchor Tom Bradby, clapping as Pippa and James entered the room. Across the room, Meghan sipped the 2002 Dom Ruinart champagne and dined on trout and lamb, chatting to her new posse of friends for the evening, which included Roger Federer’s wife, Mirka. With DJ Sam Totolee at the turntables after dinner was over, Harry and Meghan were reunited near the dance floor. The old Harry would have certainly closed out the bash with the rest of his friends. Instead, he and Meghan spent most of their time chatting about their evening apart. They called it a night close to 2:00 a.m., a protection officer driving them back to Kensington.

  8

  Voicing Disapproval

  Every detail had been meticulously organized ahead of their August 4 arrival in Botswana, a trip Harry planned to coincide with Meghan’s thirty-sixth birthday.

  Unwrapping the first of several surprise gifts from Harry on the final leg of their turbo propeller-plane ride, Meghan couldn’t help but smile when she noticed the corner of the canvas painting poking out of the carefully prepared bubble wrapping packaging.

  Just two months after they had started dating in the summer of 2016, Harry had given Meghan one half of a Van Donna diptych, which depicted a young boyfriend and girlfriend holding hands. He had picked up the $4,500 artwork during a private visit to the Walton Fine Arts gallery in Chelsea, London, and kept the second piece, which simply featured the title of the work, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, for what would be their first anniversary. It seemed he had always known that they would go the distance.

  As they hit the tarmac at Maun Airport, both immediately felt a sense of relief and excitement. The vacation wasn’t just in celebration of Meghan’s birthday; it was also a milestone of their relationship. The trip stood as a full-circle moment for the couple, a return to the country they had snuck off to just four weeks after meeting in 2016. They were excited to camp out again in the Botswana wilderness under the stars as they had done almost a year earlier to the day.

  The festivities began the moment they touched down. They were quickly whisked away in blacked-out SUVs to their first location: a night at the home of Harry’s friend Adrian Dandridge, a former jewelry designer he first met during a trip to Botswana in 2004. There, at a rustic guesthouse nestled next to a nearby chili farm in the community area of Tsutsubega, was a surprise birthday party set up and waiting for Meghan. Ravenous after the fifteen-hour journey from London, Harry’s and Meghan’s faces lit up when they were greeted by the smell of flame-grilled fare on a large barbecue and a variety of local foods prepared by Adrian’s wife, Sophie, including Harry’s favorite local dish, seswaa, a beef stew cooked with onion and peppers and served over thick polenta.

  For Meghan, it was moments like these that defined Harry. No matter where they were, or who they are with, he always did all he could to make her feel important and included. And there was always some sort of thoughtful surprise.

  Earlier that summer, when the couple escaped, completely undetected, to Turkey for a five-night stay at a private villa overlooking the Yalikavak Bay and surrounding mountains in Bodrum, Meghan noticed a jewelry store in town that carried a designer she liked. Kismet by Milka, known for delicate handmade pieces in gold, is popular with the likes of Beyoncé, Madonna, and Cameron Diaz. The couple browsed inside the store, which the owner (upon realizing it was Harry and Meghan) quickly locked down so they could look around in peace. When they left, Meghan told Harry that she liked a couple of things and wanted to come back. The next day, Harry popped into the boutique to buy two pieces. “He said, ‘I would like to surprise her,’ and picked out the items,” the designer Milka Karaagacli said about the Hamsa ring and yellow gold seed dots bracelet.

  Harry’s latest gesture during the ad hoc birthday party in Africa was simpler but no less thoughtful. Watching him smile as he carried out a small birthday cake, Meghan felt more loved and in love than ever.

  The next morning, the couple needed no alarm clock as they woke to the sound of a raucous flock of birds in a joyful dawn chorus. Then they excitedly hurried through breakfast, before jumping into an open-top Jeep to travel forty miles east to the remote Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

  Harry and Meghan were back at Meno A Kwena, the luxury resort they had visited the prior year. Now they could enjoy alone time.

  Not that it was ever really just the two of them. Joining them on the romantic trip were two of Harry’s personal protection officers, or PPOs, as they are commonly referred to. The SAS-trained, plainclothes bodyguards from the SO14 Royalty Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police Service routinely carried 9mm Glock 17 pistols, radios, and first aid kits—and were never more than a few steps away. They had only one job: to keep the prince safe at all times and at all costs. Meghan used to find the extra presence on dates a little awkward, but, as the Duchess of Cambridge once told friends, “There comes a point where you don’t notice.”

  With no likely threats in this secluded area, the security team was moved to their own quarters on another side of the resort, leaving Harry and Meghan with more than enough privacy. They were also free of digital distractions, rarely checking their phones except to take the occasional photo.

  In Botswana, Harry and Meghan’s days were spent getting closer to nature and their evenings, closer to each other. Every night, after a dinner of steak or game stew prepared by longtime resident chef Baruti, the couple moved to the resort’s campfire area, sinking into low canvas chairs and sipping local wine in front of a crackling fire.

  During these starlit evenings, the couple took a deep dive into whatever was on their minds. Meghan’s thoughts had recently been on her job, which no longer fit into the life she was building with Prince Harry. She was under pressure to let her network bosses know whether she would be returning to Suits for an eighth season, but she didn’t want to rush into any rash decisions. After all, this was a job most actresses dream of.

  Although she and Harry didn’t have a formal commitment to each other, Meghan felt as though she could talk to him about anything. In the calm of the delta’s gateway, their conversation interrupted only by the occasional roar of a lion, she opened up about her hopes for the future and where Harry fit into them. For Harry, the subject was an easy one: they had made a promise to never leave each other’s sides, and it was a promise he intended to keep.

  If the prince realized on the first date that he wanted to date the actress, it was some three months later when he knew he wanted to make her his wife. “The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was confirmation to me that all of the stars were aligned,” Harry later said in his engagement interview. “Everything was just perfect. This beautiful woman just tripped and fell into my life; I fell into her life.”

  Their courtship had been a smooth one. They enjoyed a lot of the same activities, such as traveling and fitness, although Meghan, the type of girl to grab a smoothie after a hot yoga or Pilates session, pushed Harry to up his game. Her morning ritual started with a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon, followed by her favorite breakfast of steel-cut oats (usually made with almond or soy milk) with bananas and agave syrup for sweetness. For snacks in between meals, she opted for apple slices and peanut butter. It was a
far cry from Harry’s bachelor days of eating takeout pizza, but he had already taken an interest in healthy living and it was fun to do it together.

  The couple were both fans of self-help books, with Harry counting Eight Steps to Happiness as a favorite, while Meghan read The Motivation Manifesto.

  They shared the deeper values that are the backbone of a marriage, including the importance of giving back to those less fortunate and being conscientious stewards of the environment. (Extremely eco conscious thanks to the teachings of his father, Harry always avoided plastic wherever possible, including making sure plastic lids weren’t put on his coffee or forgoing the plastic wrapping on his dry cleaning.)

  Harry often took the lead on romantic gestures, but Meghan made sure to show her appreciation and return the affection. Taking note of his likes, she tried to surprise him with his favorite things whenever he visited her in Toronto. During one trip, she cooked him a traditional British Sunday roast lunch, even though it was a weekday, because Harry told her it was his favorite meal. “There’s never a wrong time for a roast,” she later joked.

  Meghan expanded Harry’s spiritual world, introducing him to yoga through her own practice and buying him a book on mindfulness that, like all her gifts, came with a handwritten note. Harry soon began, at Meghan’s encouragement, a daily meditation practice.

  By June 2017, she and Harry weren’t talking about their wedding as a possibility so much as an absolute. They even went so far as to bring the Palace into the conversation, consulting with the prince’s aides about the best time for a ceremony.